Door handle assemblies for vehicles may use a return spring to effectuate actuation of both a door handle and an associated latch mechanism. The door handle may be pivotally connected to the door such that an operator can actuate the door handle to open the door.
A door handle spring may be connected to the door handle. The door handle spring may bias the door handle toward its closed position such that when the door handle is released by the operator, the door handle moves from its open to its closed position. The spring bias also inhibits unintended actuation of the door handle.
Because door handles are generally actuated manually, the stiffness of the door handle spring may not be so high as to make manual actuation of the door handle difficult. However, the spring stiffness may be high enough to inhibit unintended actuation of the door handle in certain situations, such as upon a side impact. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a door handle assembly having a resistance to unintended actuations, but yet can be easily opened by the operator.